TMZ Sports - Page 50

John Witherspoon would've loved this ...

New England Patriots star Mohamed Sanu showed love to the late "Friday" star on Sunday -- with custom cleats and a TD celebration inspired by "Pops."

As we previously reported, Witherspoon passed away on Oct. 29 at his home in L.A. He was 77.

Clearly, he meant a lot to Sanu who reached out to famed cleat artist Dez Customs and asked for something special to honor the legendary actor.

Check out the final product -- it's an image of Witherspoon from his 2008 comedy special 'You Got To Coordinate' with the title written across in the inside of the shoe.

"RIP to a Legend," Sanu posted on social media ... "You were great in everything you starred in. #bangbangbangbang #Yitty."

The cleats definitely gave Sanu a boost -- he WENT OFF on Sunday, hauling in 10 catches for 89 yards and a TD.

In fact, when Sanu scored ... he busted out John's "Don't tell noooobody" moves to celebrate. Cool little tribute to the legend.

The Pats ultimately lost to the Baltimore Ravens, but ya gotta think Witherspoon was smiling when he saw this.

A 17-year-old "Fortnite" superstar gamer has been BANNED for life for cheating -- but the gaming community is PISSED OFF at the punishment and demanding mercy.

The gamer at the center of the controversy is FaZe Jarvis -- younger brother of gaming star FaZe Kay -- who's built up a MASSIVE following, including 2 million subscribers on YouTube.

But, the British teenager got himself in hot water using Aimbots during a recreational game that he streamed on his YouTube channel.

FYI, Aimbots is an illegal hack that essentially auto-focuses your weapons on opponents, making it MUCH easier to hit your target and get kills. It's the gaming version of steroids.

Jarvis admitted to using the bots in an emotional video -- in which he chokes back tears to reveal the punishment he received from Epic Games, the company behind "Fortnite."

"I've been permanently banned from 'Fortnite' for life," Jarvis said ... "This was a huge mistake was completely wrong on my end."

Jarvis says he didn't know the consequences for his actions would be met with such a severe punishment -- since he didn't cheat during competitive play -- and had he known, he wouldn't have done it.

Jarvis says he's completely emotionally crushed -- since he's not only banned from playing, but he's blocked from attending "Fortnite" events or creating any type of content around the game.

Well, his fans -- and even competitors -- are pissed, claiming the punishment does NOT fit the crime.

Many people are voicing their anger on social media and demanding Epic Games scale back the punishment.

One point people are upset about ... a duo that had been caught cheating earlier this year was only suspended for 14 days (and allowed to compete in the $30 million World Cup tourney). They were NOT banned for life.

So, what will happen with Jarvis? We're reaching out to Epic Games for comment. Stay tuned.

By the way, Jarvis has options ... he's also a stud in other games including "Call of Duty" and "CS:GO."

Carlos Correa is holding out hope Gerrit Cole resigns with the Houston Astros ... telling TMZ Sports having the stud pitcher back in 2020 "would be great."

Of course, that might be wishful thinking at this point ... Cole's behavior after the Astros lost the World Series certainly suggests he'll be on someone else's mound next year.

If ya missed it ... Cole wore a Scott Boras hat -- NOT an Astros one -- to his post-World Series loss presser and wrote a note on social media shortly after that sounded like a farewell to Houston.

But, when we got Correa out in NYC this weekend, the 'Stros star shortstop told us he's got high hopes that Houston's execs can find a way to bring the ace back.

"I hope so," Correa said. "That'd be great."

As for how Carlos is handling the loss to the Nationals ... he told us the squad's already thinking about next season -- and he also gave some props to Washington for the W.

"They competed, they played great -- so congratulations to them."

By the way, Carlos says while he's already gearing up for 2020 ... he ain't quite hitting the bench press or the squat rack just yet.

UFC star Johnny Walker was still walking around NYC with his head held high after losing to Corey Anderson at UFC 244 ... telling TMZ Sports straight-up, "I'll be back!"

The 27-year-old Brazilian -- one of the hottest rising stars in MMA -- took a beating Saturday night, with the ref stopping the fight in the 1st round.

When our photog saw 6'5", 205-pound Walker strolling around Manhattan the next day, Johnny didn't seem fazed at all.

"I'm good, I'm good," Walker said with a smirk ... "I'm ready to go again. I'm ready to fight as soon as possible."

Walker said he's expecting a 45-day medical suspension to allow his eye to heal up -- but he's excited to show people he can come back from a loss like a champ.

"My eye's okay. I'll be back in either January or February."

Walker says he realizes the mistakes he made during the Anderson fight -- he hesitated and thought too much during the scrap -- and says it won't happen again.

"[Saturday] is no 'lose' ... just one lesson," Walker said.

With Chuck Liddell still debating on whether or not to return to the Octagon and fight again ... his friend, Dana White, has a message for the UFC legend -- please don't.

If you saw the new "ESPN 30 for 30: Chuck & Tito," you probably noticed the final graphic at the end of the show said, "[Chuck] is undecided about his future as a fighter."

In other words, he's still contemplating taking another fight, despite losing 6 of his last 7 fights ... including a brutal 1st-round knockout loss to Tito Ortiz in 2018.

So, we asked Dana White how he felt about Chuck contemplating a comeback ... and White made it clear he hopes the Iceman stays out of the cage for good.

"Chuck is [about to turn] 50 years old and should not be fighting," White said.

It's abundantly clear in our video Dana cares about Chuck as a fighter and as a friend -- and doesn't want to see anything bad happen to him.

"Chuck Liddell is one of the greatest people you could ever meet. He's a good person. He's a good guy."

White knows Liddell is a "fighter to the core" -- and says it's up to regulatory bodies to protect fighters like Chuck from themselves.

So, even if Chuck wants to fight again, White hopes no state athletic commission will license the fight ... which will hopefully deter Chuck from taking another bout.

The Cleveland Browns just cut 26-year-old safety Jermaine Whitehead -- after the guy threatened to shoot, kill and fight several fans on social media after the Browns lost on Sunday.

Whitehead was getting clowned on social media for his lack of tackling and the overall terribleness of the Browns, when he lashed back on Twitter,

"Imma kill you bitch ... that's on blood," he told one guy.

"Don't get shot at lil bitch ... can you whoop my ass .. .f*ck football .. let me know when you need the address," he told another.

When one fan asked for Whitehead's address, the NFL player gave out the address to the Cleveland Browns facility in Ohio.

Twitter immediately suspended Whitehead's account over the threat -- in fact, it was suspended before he even left the locker room.

And, yeah ... as you could imagine, the Browns were PISSED too -- issuing a statement condemning Jermaine's actions.

"Jermaine Whitehead's social media posts following today's game were totally unacceptable and highly inappropriate," a Browns spokesperson said. "We immediately spoke with Jermaine upon learning of these comments. The Browns in no way condone that type of language or behavior. This matter will be further addressed internally."

Whitehead apologized ... but it was too late to save his job.

"I do apologize for my performance, but having a broke hand and a strong fear of letting my team down is my downfall," Whitehead said.

"Whatever happens happens. Ain trippin. They probably gone still talk crazy but this me getting smoke off my chest. I don't need one like.. this from me to me! Keep ya head up homie, can't nobody f*ck with you. I dare em to try."

Colin Kaepernick is giving back on his birthday ... and doing so for the people who need it most.

The former NFL quarterback was out in Oakland Sunday to celebrate his 32nd birthday, but rather than party it up ... he was out in the streets bright and early helping to feed and supply the countless homeless residents lining Tent City -- Oaktown's own skid row.

In partnership with his foundation, Know Your Rights Camp, and with the help of his girlfriend, Nessa, Colin was literally walking around handing out backpacks that were filled with snacks, socks, air quality masks, shampoo and other crucial resources.

He even got a food truck to come out and feed everyone on his dime -- which folks seemed more than grateful for as Colin and co. pointed them in the direction of some free grub.

Of course, Colin also drew a crowd of locals who were clamoring for photo-ops ... which he happily obliged. Fitting he did this in the Bay too -- a place he's all too familiar with.

You'll recall ... CK was the SF 49ers' QB just a few years ago, before he exited the NFL amid his National Anthem protest ... and without even so much as a proper workout since.

That's not gonna get him down on his birthday though -- he's clearly still out there working for the people, and doing it with a smile to boot. BTW, it looks like he's been doing this on his birthday for a little while now ... based on a flashback video from 2016.

Tyler Cameron is living proof that no matter how in shape you might be ... a marathon can still kick your ass.

Gigi Hadid and Hannah Brown's ex-lover was among 50,000 people or so to run the New York City Marathon Sunday -- and probably among half who cramped up along the way. TMZ got this video of the model limping his way to one of the barricades in clear pain.

We're told this was shot about midway through the 26.2-mile trek throughout the city. Looks like Tyler's leg might've given out on him ... it happens, marathons are brutal.

Now here's the kicker ... Tyler ended up finishing the race, and in pretty good time too!!! We searched him on the official New York Road Runners' tracking system, and it looks like TC topped out at 4 hours, 39 minutes and 54 seconds -- an average of 10:40 minutes a mile.

Tyler was on a good 9-11 minute/mile pace until about mile 19, when he clocked in 13:39 -- and then dipping again at mile 22 at about 15:40. He picked it up at the end though, finishing mile 26 with an average speed of 11:08. Cramps be damned, he toughed it out.

Oddly enough, the guy hasn't posted a celebratory photo or vid of himself getting across the finish line ... even though he put up a before-photo. Modest much???

Donald Trump just tweeted that being at Madison Square Garden Saturday night was "a little bit like walking into a Trump rally" ... which means he was impervious to the boos as he entered the arena.

Trump had to know the venue would be as polarized as the U.S. Capitol ... just by the demonstration outside MSG as he arrived. Donald Trump Jr., who accompanied his dad, called reports of booing "bullsh*t." He noted UFC Prez Dana White called the President's entrance electrifying. Eric Trump was also on hand for the fight.

The Rock also made a special appearance. He presented a 'BMF' -- baddest motherf***er -- belt to Jorge Masvidal, who beat Nate Diaz, but it was a little bit of an underwhelming victory -- doctors stopped the fight after round 3 because Diaz's face was messed up. The Rock said before the fight he was super pumped about presenting the award.

WWE legend Kurt Angle has added an 8th member to his family -- adopting a 15-year-old boy from Bulgaria ... and the story behind it is AMAZING!!!

The kid's name is Joseph -- and Kurt says his wife was adamant about bringing an older child into the family after learning a pretty heartbreaking fact about adoption.

"My wife decided she wanted to adopt a child, but she did some research and found out that kids over 10 don't get adopted, period. So, she decided not to get a young one, but an older one to try to give him a chance."

Angle said the adoption process took about 18 months -- and they JUST brought Joseph home to the U.S. a few days ago.

One of the issues, Angle says Joseph didn't speak ANY English ... so they enrolled him in a class in Bulgaria to get him trained up for life in America.

"We had him take 6 months of English classes. It worked a little bit, but he still needs a bit more work," Angle said.

The good news ... Angle says his wife speaks some Bulgarian, which helps -- but Kurt doesn't speak a LICK of Joseph's native tongue, so they're both figuring it out together.

So far, Kurt says Joseph is loving America -- but he realizes the move is a huge adjustment for the kid.

"We're taking our time with him and making sure we cross our T's and dot our I's. He's a special kid."

Terrell Owens has a message for Jerry Jones -- STOP MEDDLING WITH THE DALLAS COWBOYS AND FIRE JASON GARRETT ALREADY!!

The Hall of Fame receiver grabbed his scary-ass Halloween mask when he was speaking with TMZ Sports and hilariously delivered the memo to the Cowboys owner.

"He needs to quit meddling," Owens said of Jerry ... "He's in the cookie jar too much. He's handling too much."

Then, TO made his pitch for the owner to drop Garrett, saying if Jones canned the head coach, "they definitely have an opportunity to go farther than they ever have."

Of course, Owens has hated JG for a long time ... in fact, he said just a few weeks ago he felt Garrett had lost control of the Cowboys' locker room.

Now, TO's doubling down on those comments despite Dallas' first-place NFC East standing ... telling us, "If they get rid of that coach, you'll see some re-energized, rejuvenated players."

We also asked Owens about Dak Prescott's high-dollar contract demands ... and TO says he really likes the QB and would pay him whatever the going-rate for the guy is.

Glen "Big Baby" Davis says Zion Williamson needs to lose weight ASAP ... 'cause he tells TMZ Sports being the same size as the Pelicans star cost him his NBA career!

"That’s one of the reasons why I stopped playing was because of my weight," Glen says.

Davis says he was just too damn heavy during his playing days at around 289 pounds ... and blames the weight for 2015 ankle and foot issues that ultimately ended his NBA career.

Now, he's sending a warning to Zion -- who's listed height and weight (6'7", 285) is nearly identical to Davis' when he was playing -- saying Williamson's gotta drop some pounds.

"He has to get his weight under control," Glen says.

Zion is apparently already feeling the effects of being too big ... he's missing the first few weeks of New Orleans' season with a knee injury that some are sayin' happened because of his size.

The good news for Williamson? Davis says Zion is going to be just fine as soon as he gets down to a weight his body can truly support consistently.

"He might have to lose some muscle mass, but other that, he should be OK."

By the way, we also showed Davis the rumored new Celtics' alternate uniforms ... and ya gotta hear him hilariously crap all over the threads!!!

How does Detroit Lions star Trey Flowers plan on spending his new $90 MILLION contract?

HE WANTS A BALLER-ASS MANSION IN ALABAMA!!!!

Of course, Trey says he's not gonna be stupid with his money -- he knows all the cautionary tales -- but at a point, ya gotta be able to enjoy the fruits of your labor, right!?

The defensive end inked his fat new deal with Detroit back in March -- receiving $40 MILLION in guaranteed money -- and he hopes to make his dream of owning mansion a reality in the future.

"Something real dope that's real player-like, you know?" Flowers says.

For now, the 26-year-old says the only notable things he's done with his new cash has been charity work and making some investments in businesses ... which is GREAT, BTW.

But, when we asked what he's eyeing to buy down the road when he eventually splurges ... he revealed to us he's got his sights set on a big house near his hometown of Huntsville, Alabama.

"I like houses," Flowers says. "I like having the vibes. Get the vibes right and things like that for the family and stuff. So, yeah, it might be something like that."

As for Trey's on-the-field work, he's coming off his biggest game of the season last weekend against the Giants -- and he's hoping that rolls over into their game against the Raiders on Sunday.

By the way, when we asked which of his new Detroit teammates has surprised him most this season ... he told us there's one wide receiver in particular who's really caught his eye!

The UFC is honing in on the next opponent for Jon Jones -- with Dana White telling TMZ Sports they're looking at undefeated Dominick Reyes as "the fight that makes sense."

Reyes -- who KO'd Chris Weidman in the 1st round of their Oct. 12 fight -- is 12-0 as a pro and currently ranked #4 in the lightweight division. He's also defeated guys like Jared Cannonier, Volkan Oezdemir and Ovince Saint Preux.

In fact, when we spoke with Reyes AFTER the Weidman fight -- he was begging the UFC to give him a crack at the G.O.A.T.

"I got these hands. I got this heart. I'm Mexican. He's never fought a Mexican. I'm tough as s**t and I'm never gonna stop!"

Well, good news for Reyes ... seems like Dana White is on board.

"The fight that makes sense for Jon Jones is Dominick Reyes," White said.

"He just came off an impressive win over Weidman, a lot of people saw it, pulled good ratings on TV. It's the fight to make."

Jon has been trashing Reyes on social media ... saying things like, "Feel like I have nothing to gain by beating Dominic. I’ve actually felt that way about my last two opponents. I want a super fight."

He also directed this at Reyes, too -- "Many have talk s**t, all have fallen. You will do the same."

Jones has said he wants to fight Francis Ngannou, but White says that's not happening any time soon. When asked if a 2020 clash is a possibility, Dana said, "I don't know."

As for Ngannou, he's been publicly asking for a fight -- and Dana says they've got some cool stuff planned for him in 2020 ... including a fight in France!!!

Nick and Joey Bosa are setting the NFL on fire -- they each have 7 sacks and are widely regarded as two of the best defensive players in the league.

So, how does their ex-NFL player dad feel about the family domination?

JOHN BOSA LOVES IT!!!

We spoke with the former NFL 1st round draft pick about his sons killing it for the 49ers and the L.A. Chargers ... and it's obvious John couldn't be more proud of his boys.

"Sometimes it's actually hard to believe how blessed I am to have 2 sons who are doing what they love," John tells TMZ Sports ... "It's amazing."

John -- who interestingly enough has 7 career NFL sacks -- says he always knew his boys had special athletic talent, but he could never have predicted this level of success.

But, it ain't just God-given ability. John says what sets his boys apart is their work ethic.

"They're absolutely relentless on trying to hone their skills and being the best they can be," John says.

"This is Joey's 4th year in the league and he's a miserable S.O.B. after practice if he didn't feel he had a great practice."

John hits all sorts of topics in our conversation. Here are some of the highlights ...

-- John explains why the family doesn't consider themselves "football fans"

-- John talks about why he hates "Thursday Night Football"

-- Why Nick owes a lot of his NFL success to his big bro Joey

-- Why John tries to stay out of his sons' business affairs

-- The 49ers are the PERFECT for Nick, starting with the coaching staff.

Don't let these two almost identical images of Todd Gurley have you seeing double! The photos above may look the same but there have been several sneaky switches made to them.

The running back for the Los Angeles Rams was spotted serving looks while out, earlier this week. We have stacked up some swaps to this photo and now it is up to you to figure out what changed! Take a real good look at the pics here and see if you can find the differences between these two super similar snaps!